ABSTRACT
Background Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common upper gastrointestinal disorder characterized by heartburn and acid regurgitation. A higher incidence is found in Arab countries. Untreated GERD has a negative impact on individuals that interfere with daily activities and impaired quality of life. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of GERD and associated risk factors in the Eastern region, Saudi Arabia. Material & Methodology A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 1517 healthy participants from the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia from May to August 2021. The sample was randomly collected through a structured self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was composed of questions related to sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics as risk factors for GERD. The existence of GERD was assessed by using GERD Questionnaire (GerdQ) for diagnosing GERD, when the score is 8 or more. Results A total of 1517 participants were included in the study: 58.8% male, 41.2% female; 9% of whom were pregnant. The age of participants ranged from 18 to 58 with a mean age of 27.5 ± 11.4 years old. The existence of GERD was 20.6% among the total participants, in which their GerdQ scores were 3-7 (68.9%), 8-10 (22.1%), and 8-11 (8.5%). The higher risk groups of having GERD were pregnant women, smoker, being male, regular usage of analgesia, soft drinks, and having a family history of GERD. Conclusion This study showed the prevalence of GERD among the general population of the Eastern region, Saudi Arabia was 20.6%. Several sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics were associated with the disease. Further studies are needed to explore the role of psychological factors in developing GERD.
ABSTRACT
Background: Prediabetes has been considered to be a reversible condition; a modification of lifestyle and other intervention can be successfully applied during the prediabetes period to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. The purpose of the present study was to assess knowledge of prediabetes and its risk factors for the community in the Al-Ahsa region. Design and method: A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted in the Al-Ahsa region from mid-to-late December 2018. A sample size of 812 was determined using a single-proportion formula. Results: Of the 812 respondents who gave consent to participate in the interview; the male to female ratio was 1.1:1. 13.2% of the respondents reported that they had diabetes. Among the respondents, 87.1% had a high level of knowledge of prediabetes, while 12.9% had low-to-moderate knowledge. 84% of males 40 years of age or older, 88.7% (384) of people with university or higher education, and 95.1% (78) of people who worked as health practitioners had high knowledge of prediabetes. Overall, there was a statistically significant association between age and prediabetes knowledge (χ2 =5.006, p=0.025). Occupation also showed a significant statistical association with prediabetes knowledge (χ2 =9.85, p=0.02). Conclusion: Knowledge is considered an important factor in the prevention of prediabetes and diabetes. People in Al-Ahsa demonstrated a high level of knowledge regarding some risk factors for prediabetes. However, there were a number of deficiencies in the knowledge of prediabetes risk factors and preventive measures as well as in general knowledge of prediabetes, which may lead to a high prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes.
